DON’T FEAR THE REAPERS!

An Interview with September Mourning

Interview by: Ron Senyo
Photos by: Ron Senyo

Theatrical powerhouse September Mourning led by singer Emily Lazar, rolled through Baltimore, MD on the Blood, Lust and Death Tour with Dope and Combichrist. The band, a self-classified, transmedia, dark culture project that combines Gothic and metal overtones with comic book superheros, reapers, and pure chaos. They have developed a style that perfectly blends melody, angst, and theatrics into a musical vortex that has been building momentum since the release of their debut EP Volume I and comic book A Murder of Reapers.

Tonight the packed house bore witness to Emily, AKA September, belting out perfect metal growls with songs like “Skin and Bones”, “Angels to Dust”, and “Children of Fate”. The band or should I say Reapers, made up of Riven (Rich Juzwick), Stitch (Josh Fresia), and Wraith (Kyle Ort) were clad in their black, Roman Imperial-like outfits as the drummer sported a ghoulish mask.

Following their set I had the unique opportunity to talk with September.

Empire: How is the tour going so far?

SM: This tour is going awesome; it’s great being out here with Combichrist and Dope. They are awesome. I really like doing shows with them. It has been really cool.

Empire: How did the concept for the band develop?
SM: The Transmedia. It came from the story line. I’ve always been obsessed with death.  So, I wanted to write something that really incorporated all of this stuff that was in my head and bring the musical elements into it.  As well and ding it in a cross platform manner, so that all it could come together.

Empire: Do you have a theatrical background? You can tell by your stage presence that you are comfortable with it.
SM: Thank you. Ya, I went to a performing arts school, so there was a lot of that growing up.

Empire: What do you think about performing on small stages like you did tonight vs playing the bigger stages?
SM: I mean any stage, it doesn’t really matter it’s all about the energy.

Empire: Yeah, with a smaller stage, like tonight you run into problems like the backdrop banner falling.
SM: Yeah, its always better to have more stage space, you know, especially on this tour the headliners have a lot of stuff. So we don’t have a lot of room, but we make it work. You try to make it work the best that you can and go from there.

Empire: Are there any musical inspirations that brought you to do what you’re doing?
SM: Yeah, there is a lot of stuff that my mom and dad were listening to when I was growing up. Bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, David Bowie, and things like that. My uncle was really into black metal so there is that side of it to, you know. I have had this very vast experience with music across the board.

Empire: So How does it feel being the only female musician on the tour?
SM: It’s fun…

Empire: Are the guys messing with you?
SM: No, No..the guys have been great. I have been good friends with a lot of people on this tour already. We’re just going out every night and having fun. It’s really like a family tour. It’s really cool to be out with all these people.

Empire: Do you have any more comics coming out?
SM: We have one that is coming out with our next EP or album when that comes out. We tend to drop the comics in connection with the music. They tend to go hand and hand.

Empire: Do you have a new album in the works or have you been working on any new material?

SM: We are working on it now. We’re hoping to have some songs out pretty soon. So keep an eye and ear out.

Empire: How do you enjoy the interactions with the fans, I see that you’re always out meeting them?

SM: Ya I love it, it’s great. I love meeting people. I talk to them a lot on social media, so it’s good to finally meet them in person.

Empire: Anything you want to say to your fans before you go?
SM: Yeah, I want to say thank you very much for being there and supporting us and being a part of all of our craziness. We really appreciate it.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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